10 Most Spectacular Lottery Burnouts

Willie Hurt was a family man living in Lansing, Mich., when he won the 1989 lottery jackpot. Although few doubted the $3.1 million windfall would change Hurt's life, what happened during the course of the next two years was still shocking.

By the time he'd received just two of the $156,000 annual installments on his lottery win, Hurt was in the process of a divorce and had lost custody of his children. He'd also spent most of the money on crack cocaine.

Then things got worse. After a 48-hour binge on booze and drugs at a rooming house, Hurt allegedly argued with his girlfriend when they couldn't find more crack. When she was later found shot in the head, Hurt was charged with her murder and, if convicted, would spend the rest of his life in prison. Although there's no word on whether Hurt was convicted, even if he was, he could continue to receive future lottery payments [source: Associated Press].